Cork-cutting machine



Sept. 7, 1943. F. E. DOMKE CORK CUTTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1940 7Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR. fled 5170mm Se t. 7, 1943; F, E, bOMKE2,328,712

CORK CUTTING MACHINE I Filed Dec 51 1940 '1 Sheets-Sheet 2 F 3 76 Sept;7, 1943. F.. E. DOMKE CORK CUTTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1940 '7Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 7, 1943. F. E. DOMKE CORK CUTTING MACHINE FiledDec. 31, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 7, 1943.

F. E. DOMKE CORK CUTTING MACHINE File'd Dec. 51, 1940 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6INVENTOR.

BY M,

Sept. 7, 1943. DOMKE 2,328,712

CORK CUTTING MACHINE I Filed Dec. 31,1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 WEB I I I I II I I INVENTOR.

BY fheai Eflamka; 49w, MM MQW Patented Sept. 7, 1943 U N1 it oonmcorrmomonmn I Fred i Ebncmke, Chicago, Ill; assi grior to WITH: v

Hutchinson 8t sen; Ific' 'Qhicago,' III. a corne ration; of'lllinoi's"Amnesia member 31, 1940; SefiialNoz3V2625 12 eees- 401; 144 -21) Myinvention relates to'machinesvfor cuttiiig cork rods'into disks of thetype customarilyi em ploye'd as seals in metalclosures of the so-cal1edcrown type. i

. My machine is similar to previous machinesi in that itcomprisesarotary turret havingl'a plu rality' of vertical, holder tubesfor receiving the cork rods that are made from oompres'sedpan ticles of.cork, but is: an improvement there'ov signed to increase the rate of iproduction rof -tlie disks, .reduce wastage of cork bynuttin' mum number'of disks from:each cork od; lan'd to generallyproduce a superior diskthat is ch ar acterized by a high degree of uniformity ers loe tweenseparate disks and ofniniform' thickness iri'each'disk Heretofore, ithas been necessary to manually insert each-rod in' its tube whichrequires'a Step page ofthe machine. As: thesesmachines'i'may haveas'manyasifort'y tubes or moregstheslosscin production; during a,working? day; is considerable; this delay increasingtheeunit .cost ofeach disk which is an important factor-in viewer thehighly competitivemarket in which these' articles. are sold. H I" 1 i An; additionalobjection to previous machines resides in the manner in whichtherod'srareiheld relative to the knife during the cutting-operation.The lower end of the rod extends throughvan openingv in the turret andthe: cuttingipressureof the knife is opposed "by, the wall of theopening ously released for independently; applyingspresmy? iii-te thehomes-tunes,- vthus materially reducin'gz the' cha'rging timeroftheomachineq further: objecti is' to'; provide: a cork -eutting machinehavinggthe usual weightsfor shiftingathe I rods' as they are' cut whichweig-htsplin' addition v to being-simultaneouslyraised-from contactwiththerod stuinps at: the; end of? the cutting opera- 'tion,vare"autornatically shifted to:- a'-clea'r position without theholde'rtubes to permit-a fi'ee entrance of a'L-fresh seti ofvrodxtandthereafter: simultane sureito the new rodsla y i A further object 'isito' provide mechanism for automatically {controlling and separatelycollecting-"the initial cuts' from theilower ends of fresh rods, M,which; is requiredbecause many of; these endsi are irregularlyformed'a-nd the thickness of each' finished disk must beuniform I andiitsiopp'o site :surfacessmooth; and; thereafter; separately collecting thefinished disks;- V

A further objeotiis to provide clampinggmeohanism v forholdinggthe-lower' endsof the rods during cutting-i which is,periodically released to permit the weights to rshitt the rods; to positions,- and which is finally held open to -permit v the discharge of thestumps.

Further and more specific obj ects areto devise mechanism for-varyingthe thickness of the disks and generally to. provide. a cork cuttingQniachine in which manual operations" are reduced to the opening andclosingioi'switches, the charging of the magazine mam andlthe alignmentofthe whose diameter necessarily must" be sufficiently largeto insureafreern'ovement of the rod'un'der the-impellingactionof a weight; Thisrelatively insecure holding of the rod duringcutting results innon-uniformity of product and aconsiderable wastage due tothe necessityof stoppingthecut'e tingrwhile a considerableilength oflstuinp 'stillremains.- This stump must be reground andrepressediwith other corkto'makeinewrodsi 1 aOther objections areconcerned generallys with theproduction rate of disks and-wi1l become more apparent :hereinafter bycomparison With2th 'ope crating" advantages of my improved machines Itis", therefore, one "object 'or my inventionito devise a cork-cuttingmachine in whi'ch the holder tubes aresimultaneously" charged-Width rodsat the end of each cutting operation.

A further object I is to devise agmaohiiie of the character indicatedwhich embodies magazines tubes equalin number to the holder tubes andwhich during'the cutting oftherodsin the holder tubes *are charged Withfresh rods "which are subse'quentlyand simultaneously discharged bygrawlatter with the-holderituhes. i I

hese andffurth er objects offrnyinve'ntionwill begset forthiintthefollowingspecifi'cation, referencel being had' to the accompanyingdrawings,

and thenovel means by which-said objects are -respectivelydischarged theinitiat reject flilsks cut from the -lovver ems o f the' reds;-the-{finished dis'ksan the stummpommrs or upper: ends ofthe rods;together with Certain? mechanism for controlling the discharge of thefinished and initial disks.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged View along the line 44 in Fig. 3, showing aportion of the automatic mechanism for controlling the last-noteddivision of the finished and initial disks.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 3,showing the circular arrangement of the oork-holder tubes and a portionof the clamps for individually gripping the lower ends of the cork rods.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section along the line 6-6 in Fig. 1, showing thearrangement of the magazine tubes which are charged with fresh cork rodswhile the rods in the holder tubes are being cut, and also a part of themechanism for raising the rod weights.

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation along the line 1-1 in Fig. 5, showing acork rod after severance of adisk and the weight resting thereon.

. Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. '7, but showing a cork rod afterseverance of the maximum number of disks andthe weight inits lowermostposition and holding the rod grippingjaw in retracted position tothereby permit a discharge of the upper or stump portion of the corkrod.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section showing the cork weight raised to itsuppermost position, and one in which it has been shifted clear of theinterior of the holder tube to permit an insertion of afresh cork rod.

Figs. 10 and 11 are sections along the lines illlil and Il-l I,respectively i'n Figs. 7 and 8.

. Fig.-yl2 is a section along'the line l2|2 in Fig. 3 showing certaincontrol mechanism and the knives which are disposed beneath the turret.

Fig. 13 is a sectionalongthe .line'l3-'l3 in V Fig. 14 is a diagrammaticelectrical circuitshowing the devices for automatically controlling thedirection of the initial reject disks into one discharge conduit and thefinished disksfinto nected through a chain 12 with a shaft 13 journaledin bearings I l-44 on the bedplate. A pin ion [5 is secured to the shaftis and meshesw'ith a bevel gear l6 fast on the lower end of a verticalshaft 1! which is journaled in a sleeve l8 that extends downwardlythrough a suitable opening provided in a table I9 and has its upper endflanged, as at 20, for support on the upper, surface of the table.

The upper end of the shaft II is keyed .or otherwise secured to the hub2! of a rotary turret 22, and the weight of this turret and itsassociated features issupported on a bearing ring 23 carried by a spacer24 that rests on the'fiange 2G. The turret 22 is provided with a thick,peripheral wall 25, which is provided with a plurality of equispaced andcircularly arrangedsockets 26 for receiving the lower ends of holdertubes 21 that extend vertically upward from the turret and into whichare inserted, as hereinafter described, cork rods 28. Theinternaldiameter of the tubes 27 is slightly; greater than thediarneter of thecork rods.28, in order to facilitate their free and rapid'insertion intothe tubes, while the lower endof each socket ZG-isreduced in diameter toform a passage 29 whose radius is substantially equal to the radius of acork rod.

As the turret 22 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the lowerends of each cork rod are successively presented to rotary knives 30, ofwhich two are preferably employed and located at opposite ends of adiameter of the turret, in orderv to increase the capacity of themachine (see Fig. 5).

As indicated in Fig. '7, each knife 36 is a thin disk and is positionedclose to the under surface of the turret and, as a safety feature, aguard rail 3| may extend completely around the machine, including thatportion of each knife whiclextends beyond thev turret, and this rail maybe suitably supported on the table I9. Each knife 30 is secured to' ahead 32 that is fast on a shaft 33 which. extends downwardly through andis journaled in the table id. to the lower end of the shaft 33 and isbelt driven by a similar pulley 35 provided on the shaft of a motor 36(see Fig. 12) which may be appro priately mounted on the under side ofthe table N, or on the bedplate, as desired. A separate motor isprovided to drive each knife and it will be understood that these motorsare suitably connected, in a manner not shown, so as to be capable ofoperation by a single switch. I:

The cutting action of'the knives 30 exercises a certain thrust againstthe lower end 'of each.

cork rod and, in order to securely hold the .rod against thispressure sothat a uniform and accurate disk will be produced, I employ a specialform of clamping mechanism which comprises a jaw 3'2, one for each corkrod. which extend through an opening 38 in the wall 25 and has its innerend 39 shaped to a curvature that willconform to the periphery of thecork rod,and this surface may be roughened or otherwise conditioned tosecure an effective clamping pressure on one side of the rod, it beingunderstood .that the rod is clamped against the adjacent surface of thepassage 29. The jaw 31 is arranged for radial action with respect to theaxis of the turret andis provided with an arm 40 Whose inner end issecured to the jaw and is slidably mounted in a bracket 4|- attached tothe wall 25.

A coil spring 42 encircles the arm 40 within the bracket 4i, one endbearing against an internal shoulder provided in the bracket, and theopposite end against the jaw 3-! so that the latter is normally urgedinto engagement with the cork rod. The outer end of the arm 40 extendsbeyond the bracket 41' and has attached thereto a vertical stub shaft'43 whose upper end has jour-' naled thereon a roller 44. Periodically,during the rotation of the turret, and after each severance of a corkdisk by either knife 38, the roller 44 rides "over a segmental cam'45(see Figs. 5, 8 and 11), this cam" being carried by a bracket 46supported on the table I9. Two of these cams are provided and they arelocated at opI-. posite ends of a diameter of the turret. The shape ofthe cam. surface is such that it pro-, vides for a temporary" retractionof each jaw 31 so that the cork rod can be advanced to a new cuttingposition by mechanism which will now be described. I a

Referring to Figs; 5 and 7, th'e'advancement of each cork rod after adisk has been cut from the lower end thereof, and during the retractedperiod of the jaws 31, is effected by means of a freely. acting weightwhich comprises a collar 41 that, is slidable along each holder tube 21A pulley 34 is secured and is guided-thereon thrcu'gh 'the medium r-anoutside rib-'48- that extends lengthwiseof-the tube and fits within-anappropriate recess provided in the collar {41 Preferably, these rlbsaresecured to that surface of each tube which is closest to the axis of'the turretz Ontheopposite side of-eachtube, the collar 47 is offset'asindicatedin Fig. 7, and pivotally mounted within this offset is theupper end of a' weight arm '49 that extends through a longitudinal slot50 into the interior of-the tube for'engage'ment with-the upper end ofthecork rod. 'Ihe arm is -'maintained within the tube by the extendingaction of a spring 49 interposedbetween the arm and collar As indicatedin Fig-s. {1 and 9, the slot 50 extends from the turret' -EZ upwardly-toa point short of the upperend of the tube andthe upper byficuttirig'amaximum numbercf usable disks vantages (if -'my machine resides in' thefact that I am able to materially reduce itlie 'cork wastage The=partsor them-achine areso related that when eachl corkrod hasbeen severed itoa stump ha'ving a length of the orderiindicated, .the collar "41 willoccupy the position illustrated -in Fig. 8, with the weight arm 19resting .onrthe rod-stump 62 and ailatchiplate'fi3 carried rbythe end ofthe slot :is defined by an inclined cam beingfilocated on-each side'ofthe "machine be.

tween the knives. shown in "Fig.' l2, each plate 52extends in thedirection of rotation of the turret from-a point closetoone knife30,;but terminates ata greater distance from the" following knife, theg'ap therebetween being filled byalpartpresentlyexplained;, In" order tovary the distance ofthe plate 52 from the lower surface of theturret, -Isupport each plate upon a pair of posts 54 which are disposed adjacentthe ends .thereof and which depend downwardly for sli'dable mounting ina bracket55carried by the table E9. The portion of each post 54"betweenthe plate '52 and-the upper surface of the bracket 55 isthreaded-asatEB-to receive a sprocket 5?! which :operates generally' asa nut, The sprocket'ismaintained incontact with the top. surface of thebracket fi l by means of a coil spring 58 that encircles the post 5Wbelow the bracket, one end of the coil abutting the bracket and theopposite end ashoulder provided onthelower end of'the post. :Achain 59connects the collanfl eng-aging witlra latchibleckafitprovided on -the'clamping :jaw 113'! to prevent ;.a restoring -ofthe jaw to clampingposition after the cam 4,5 has :been traversed :by '1 the roller :44.

I Evacuation of "thestump 1.62 :is secured by 're- "ducing the width'of'each plate :52 between the ends thereoi asfindidated by the segment:65 in Figs. 5 and =12,-this reductionibeginning generally i oppositeteach cam i451 and continuing 1 in the direction of rotation of theturret for a preiieterrnined :distance, "but. terminating short of, therecess which :receives the adjustment plate :61. 'As clearly shown in.theifiguresjust noted, the widthaof thernarrowed'segment .Ciffthe plate52 is'such: as to engage with only a limited portion, preferably less ithan one-eighth, of the n lower end of each corkirod as it is:passedthere} ever; -the inner portions of the rod ends resting on-the narrowedsegment-and the extent of the area contact'ed being such that, when thecork "rods have al'ength greaterthan that of the rod the opening.ttithroughi'which the jaw '31 oper- ":ates, tilts onfthetouter fedgeaofthe segment $5 knives :33.- This grindingresultsif-in a gradualreduction in the diameter 'QfQeach knife, and, in order to bridge thegap. between-thatend or each. plate 50 which is-ad'jacent' the cuttingedge of the knife, a slideplate fi-l ismounted in "a recess:

provided/in the plate 5 2 and one end thereof may be moved into 'closeproximity to the edge of the:

As the cork rods are successively severed and. i.

, knife and. shifted .from 'time to time as the 'd-i--- ameter of the:knifeis reduced by sharpening.

successively. movedto: new severing.- positions by and is dischargedthrough conduitfifi (see Figs. '3 and'12); :This action is alsofacilitated by centrifugal force arising fronrthe rotation-ref theturret. V

Eventually, .z all 'of' the weight collars :41 reach the positionillustrated in Fig. r8rand all of the :rod stumps 62 are-discharged inthe manner above'described. The operatorof the machine l themachine,-.sothat the holder tubes 21' can now :be' recharged with asetof fresh rods.

At this itime; the operatorcpreferably shuts off the driving'motor' ll,-"sincefit is necessary that the turret 22 be at rest during chargingwith the fresh rods.

:Howeven'beforethe tubes 21 can receive new cork'rods, the Weightarms-49 must first be moved clear of thetubes and the mechanism forsecuring this result will nowfbe described. As shown in Fig. '7, eachcollar 41 has journaled thereon a roller B'Iwhich extendsradially'inward therefrom an'dall of the collar'rollers are intended tobe engaged by a lifter plate 68 which, during-the normalcuttingoperation of the machine, occupiesits lowermost'positionas'illus- -trated inFigfi3. The plate 68 is secured to the fiange'dlower end 69 of a sleeve lfl'that is concentric with the axis of theturret-22. The sleeve .the disk till .is provided with an internal,annular shoul der'll that isengaged, during thelifting operation, by theoppositely extending wings; 'I'Zof a yoke Hi secured to. the lower endof a lifting rod 'I lthat is also coaxial with the turret, 1 The wings12 extend through and are guided during .helifting and descendingmovements by oppositely disposed slots 15 which extend-lengthwise ofatube 76 whose lower end rests on' andis held transversely v.by ashouldered bushing TI mounted on a cap I8 that, is secured-to the; upperend' of the hub 22 on driving shaft I1 ,-wl 1ile he upperend of the tubeis secured to a horizontal strut l9 bridged'between and-supported by apair of standards 86 that extend upwardly irom the table I9. I

At an. appropriate distance above. the turret, "the upper end of thelifter rod I4 is connected'by means of a universal unit, generallyindicated by thenumeral 8|, to the lower end of aErack 82. This rackmeshes with a rack pinion 83 (see Figs.- 1 and 6) s'ecuredtoashaftllt'journaled in a pair of brackets 85 and 86 that are carried bythe strut 79.: Adjacent the. bracket 85, a worm gear 87 is secured tothe shaft. 84 and thisgear meshes with a worm 88 secured to the shaft ofa motor 89.

The motor 89 may be supported bya bracket 90 on an upper strut 9| thatis also bridged between the standards 80 and the circuit through themotor is normally completed by a switch (not shown) under 'the controlof the operator who normally is located to observe disks being dis,-charged from the machine. Provision is made for automatically reachedits. uppermost position and this result is obtained by means of a cam 92(see Fig. 6) on the side of the rack whichmovesa switch arm 93 toopen-circuit position. This switch arm forms part of a switch .box 94mounted on a support 95 that extends between the struts 19-and 9i. Assoon as the circuit-through the motor is interrupted; the rack 82 andits associated parts are free to descend under the action of gravity andthis downward movement is limited by engagement of a stop pin 96 whoseintermediate portionis secured to the upper end of the rack 82 andwhoseends are received within U-shaped sockets 91 provided in. a pair of stopblocks 98' carried by the strut 9|. These sockets may be cushioned inany desired manner against the shock of stopping. I

In order to retard the speed of the downward movement of the rack 82, Imay employ the'brak- 'ing mechanism illustrated in Figs.;1 and 2. Thismechanism comprises a collar 99 secured on the shaft 8 to the right ofthe bracket 86, and which carries a spring-actuated and slidably mountedclutch pin lilii'that projectsfrom the right faceef the collar. The pinslides over the leftfacc of a brake disk IllI that is loosely mounted,onthe"; shaft M and which face includes a clutch notch 'I 62, the leftendof which, as-shown in Fig. 2, is defined by a transverse. shoulder I03,while the opposite end merges smoothly, into the left face of the disk.Y

I Accordingly, when the-shaft 84*is rotating'in a clockwisedirection,,as-viewed;in Figs. Z and 6, the pin merelyslides across theleft face of without imparting any rotation thereto, but when the shaftis rotating in thejopposite directioni. e., during the descending move-I ment of the rack 82,;thepin I00 engages the shoulder I03 sothatthedisklfll rotates with-the interrupting the circuit through themotor 89 when the rack 82 has collar 99. The brakedisk IOI cooperateswith a im arfli 04. l d -i umale onth shaft ildand held against rotationby means ,of an arm Ip5, one;1 en d of which is securedtothe disk I04and-theopposite end tothestrut I9. The'shaft extends beyond the disk I04and at; its right extremity carries a collar I05, and, between thiscollarand the agljacent fa -of the disk I04, a coilspring- Ill]encircles the shaft and exerts a onsta t r ssureae n th lfl. Op osediaces of the disks IUI and I04;may be provided with any suitablefriction material, I08.

One of themost important advantages of my improved machineresides in theelimination of the heretofore time-consuming operation of individuallyinserting fresh cork rods in the holder tubes 21,-thus materiallyincreasingthe productivity oi: the machine. For this purpose, I employ amagazine which is loaded during the cutting of the previous set of rodsand which fresh rods are simultaneously dischargedinto the holder tubesupon the completion of; the previous cutting. This magazine comprises aplate H0 that is fixed to the tube 'lfi-above the upperpends of theholder tubes 21. A plurality of equispaced and circularly arrangedapertures III is provided in the disk N0, the arrangement andspacing ofthese apertures being identical with that of the holder tubes to the endthat when the apertures and tubes are brought into registering.relation, as hereinafter described, the cork rods, in the magazine: will:fall by gravityuinto, the holdertubes. Each aperture III is shoulderedwithin the plate I lit to receive the lower end of a magazine tubeII2that projects above the plate H0 secured to the tubelfi. Thecircumferential distance between adjacent edges of a" pair oflapertures.IM is such that, when the gate plate II3 I occupies a position in whichit masks the apertures II I., the plate I I3 acts as a support for corkrods inserted in the magazine tubes H2, and, when the plate I-I3is movedto register its apertures II l with the apertures I I I, the new corkrods will drop by gravity into the holder tubes 2i when the latter'areregistered. Registration of the apertures ill and M41 is quicklyeffected by the operatorvertically aligninga pair of handlesllt and. II?secured, respectively, to the plates IIIland II3,,wh ile,the. tubesi'lareregistered by manuallyrotating the turret 22.

Due tothe fact that the ends fot the cork rods as initially made, arenot smooth enough to serve as seals in a crown, it is necessary to makeone or more initial cuts from the lower ends of the rods as inserted inthe holder tubes, so that both sides of the disks will be fsmooth'andunirorm. Theseinitial or rough disks. constitute rejects which must bereground withsother material to form new rods, andmy improved machineReferring to Figs. 3, 4 and 12,*open-top hop-' pers jI I51 and II! aremounted onthe table-I9 edge being regarded as'theone towards which thecork rods are carried? by the rotation of the turret 22. The hopper IISis; arrangedto deliver the initial rejectdisksinto a conduit I I8 or thefinished disks into a conduitJ li-while the hopper II='I- is operativelyassociated respece tively, with similar conduits. I and I2I (see Fig. l2)-.- w t A gate I22 is fixed within the hopper H6 to a shaft I23 thatis 'jonrnaled' ina pair of, the ,oppositeside-wallslof the hopper; oneend of the shaft extending. without the hopper for securement to a leverI24 This lever, as viewed in Fig.

3, is pivotally connected to the upper end ofan arm I24 that extendsdownwardly through an ap ropriate, opening in thetable I9 forfixedattachment to' one end of the core I 2-5-of a solenoid I26;Aslshownrin Figs. 3 and -1;2,,the solenoid-is not energized" andthe-core. I is maintalned' by a-coilispring. I21 in the retractedposition shown,

i. e., oneim which the gate 122 directs finished I disks into theconduit 8, one end ofthe spring being connected to'the core and the.opposite end to apin I2 8 thatdepends from the table I9. Energizationofthe solenoid |2-.6,.as more particular- 13!, described hereinafter, iseffected during the upward movement of. the rack 82- through the mediunrof a. cam I29. carried by the rack which engages'an: arm. I30 of. anormally-open switch I3 I Which may be carried by thebracket 95. orpurpose of description, the switch..I.3I maybe regarded as the. startingswithl'l of. the. solenoid circuit. T 7 I i v A rockarm I241 issecured.tof theshaftI I23 and its free end is pivotally connected to one,end of" a link. I 32'which extends across thetable for pivotalconnection to arock. arm 553 that is fast upon axshaft'I34yjournaled.'iri'iand, extending across'the"hopper I'I'If KseeHafiz)"; l'Withinth'e hopper- II'I, aj ate I3.5 ,'sirni1arto "the, gateI2 2, is secured to the shaft I 34; so thatfboth gates the-fsolenoid I26and switches m and use are more particularly. illustrated in Fig. 14.Power I terminals: [45.and I4'I,respectively, are connectedtoarsuita'ble power-source and this main circuit includes the solenoid-I 26, the connection between the terminal I46 and the solenoid beinginterruptedb-y a pair of spaced contacts I48 and I49 which: areibridgedat determined times by an armature I50 carried by the core l5l of asolenoid1I5-2 forming part of a magnetic switch I53. Qne endofthe coilof the solenoid I52 is connected by wire I54 to the negative side of themain solenoid circuit, i. e., the oneincludingthe solenoidstzdjwhile theopposite end of the coil I52 is connected 2. wire Hi5 to a switch arm I5.6,also1forming part of thie magnetic switch I53. ,In the position ofparts illustrated in Fig. 14, theyarmqI'fi engages a contact I51 whichis connected by, a wire I58 to the starting switch arm. I30.-Startingswitch contact I 59 is connected by a wire I60 to the positive.side of the main solenoid circuit. The magnetic switch I53 alsoincludes a movable contact IIaI which is arrangedatdetermined times tobe moved by the core I5I .into engagement'with theswitch arm I56.Contact IB-I is connected. by wire I62 to the switch arm I44 and contactI63'which is normally engaged-by the arm I44 is connected by a wire IfiIato the'wire I60 so that the switches I3! and spectivelym After eachseverance. each clamping jaw 31 is retracted by the cam to permit theassociated cork rod to be advanced ,to a new I22and I35" are rocked inone direction when 'the solenoid I25 isenergized" and inthe oppositedirection when the solen'oidis" deenergized by the retracting pull ofthe springIZ'Iry In the position' shown; the gate I35 directs finisheddisks intotheconduit I2'I. g f

The shaft I34 extends beyond" the. hopperi H]: fors'ecurement't'o ar'ock arm I36 that is pivotally connected to-one end of alink-I31, the.opposite end'thereof being pivotally secured to a' block I32 that isslidahlein abracket 'lsai arried pyiiie table I9.' Journaledfor axialmovement'trans-f versely of the block ISB, or*vert ically; as viewedin-Figs; 3*and 4,-i s a shaft I40 and-above theblock acoil springfMIencircles the shaft I46 and normally tends to-maintaininthe-uppermostposition illustrated in Figs. 3' and-4 a thin-edged wheel I4-2'that-isfast on-the shaft. g "f When'the solenoid I25 is energized,-the'ensuin'g movement of the link I32 and connected-parts moves thewheel I42 into frictional engagement with the threaded; lateralsurfaceof a ring I43 secured to the under sideof the turret 221 7 Hence;duringrotation of the turret; the wheel I 42'moves axially of the ringMB-uiitil the lower end-of the shaft I4 ll engages an a rm- I ofanormally closed switch I45 that' is carried' liy' thetahle llll Thisswitch may be regarded as: the holding switch of the solenoid circuit ashereinafter described, and, when the arm I44 is actuated by the' shafhI40, the switch I45 is openedfto deenerg The detailed electricalconnections between cuttingiposition by the weight 49, after which thejaw reengages the lower end of the: cork rod prior to therodbeingpresented tothe next knife inorder of rotation; l

Eventually, each cork rod is cut to a length generallyindicated by thenumeral 62 in Fig. 8, and,'.-atzthis time, each latch plate 63, in orderof rotation, prevents areturn of' a jaw 3'! to clampingposition and thuspermits a discharge of the upper orjstump end of each rod as itpasses'over:thenarrowed segment 65 of one of the plates I52; Thesestumps are discharged into the conduits'fifi. Y I The operator observeswhen all of the weights have reached their lowermost positions and thisconditionrlcanbe further determined from the. fact that'rthe machine isno longer discharging disks. The .turret 22is then brought to a stop byopening the switch to the main motor I I. During the cutting of the rodsin the holder tubesi2I; it will be understood that another operator,whoimaycservice several machines, has'already 'place'd'lnew cork rods ineach of the magazine tubes I.I2,' but; before these rods can be discharged into theholder tubes 27, it is firstnecessary to .raise thecollars 41 and move the weight arms lil. externally of the tubes.Preferably, this action takes place while the turret 22 is coming to:astcp in'order-to conserve the waiting-time 'ofithe :machine. Theoperator who observes therdischarge ofthe disks from the machine lcloses the circuit to the motor 89, wherecolla'rs il adistancesufficient to cause e'ach of i-tubesand also registersthe'handles IIIiand III whereupon the new cork rods are'simultaneously discharged bygravity into the several holder tubes 21. A The timing of the rack 82during its ascending movement is so arranged that'an adequate period isallowed, between the external 'shifting of the weight arms 49 and thepointfwhen the motor switch arm 93' is moved to open-circuit position bythe cam 82, in which to feed the newcork rods into the holder tubes..When the circuit through the motor 89is broken as indicated, the rack82 and its lifter platadescends under'the action of gravity, as slightlyretarded by the brake disks IilI and Iil4'unti1 it reaches its lowermostposition as illustrated in Fig 3. At this time, each of theweight' arms49 is applying pressure to the upper end of the new cork rod! Before therack 82 begins its descending move ment, however, it will be understoodthat the cam I29 has actuated theswitch arm I30 to close the circuitthrough the switch I31, this switchbeing normally open, as indicated inFig. 14. By reference'to' the latter figure, it willbe' noted that theclosing of the switch I3I completesthe circuit through the magneticswitch solenoid I52, so that thearmature I50 bridges the contacts I 48and I43 to thereby energize the solenoid I26. I

Thesolenoid' core I25 is thereupon" moved to wards the left, as viewedin Figs.i3 and 12, and thegates I22 and I are 'rockediri a clockwisedirection to direct, when the turret begins rotating, the initial rejectcuttings from the lower ends of the cork rod intothe conduits II8'.andI28. This movement of the gates I22 and I35 is also accompanied by anengagement of the wheel hi2 with the threaded periphery of the ring" Theoperator thereupon starts the rotation'of the turret'22, and, as eachjaw 31 is retracted in the before-stated manner to permit anadvance ofeach 'rod to'a cutting position, -the lower ends of each rod are severedduring the rotation of'the turret: The number of these initial" cuttingscan be varied as desired by changing the pitch of the threads on thering I43, or by varying the initial height of the wheel I42 above theblock I38, or both "of these expedients may be adopted.- Even tually;the wheel I42 is moved downwardly sufficient to engage the switch armI44 and thereby open the normally closed switch- I45. By reference toFig. 14, it will be clear that,'.when the switch I3I has been opened bythe descending movement of the" rack 82,-energization of the magneticswitch solenoid I52 and therefore of the solenoid I28 is maintained fromthat time until the switch I is opened because, when the switch I3! wasinitially closed,.'thefsolenoid core I5I engaged contact IGI with theswitch'arm I55 and at the sameItime interrupted engagement of the latterwith the contact I51.

- As soonas the switch I45 is opened in the manner stated, the startingswitch I3I already being open, theimagnetic switch solenoid I52 isdeenergized, whereupon the armature I50 returns to thepositionillu'stra'ted in'Fig. 14 and .the'

main solenoid I25 is ideenergized. The spring I21 thereupon returns thesolenoid coil I25 to the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 12,accompanied by a shifting of the gates I22 and I35 to the positionsillustrated in the'same figures "where theydirect thefinished disks intothe conduits IE9 and. I2I. Thereafter, the rods are continuouslysevereduntil the several c'ollars'4l reach the position illustrated in Fig. 8,whereupon the foregoing operations are repeated.

My i. "proved machine is characterized, bv a higher disk productionduring a days operation in comparison to prior machines. This r'esult'ispartly due to the use of magazine tubeswhich may be loaded during thecutting of a pfrk'v'ious set of cork rods and thereafter simultaneouslydischarged into'th-tubes which'holdthe rods during cutting. Ifurther:reasons 'for -the high production residein the use of 5 a pair of knivesI and a novel form of clamping mechanism which enables theturret to berotated at higher speeds than formerly with assurance that the rods aresecurely held against the cutting shock of tne knives and that the diskswill not be -deformed.

Finally, the fact that the rods can be severed 1. In a machine forcutting disksfromi'cork rods, the combination of a plurality ofopenended, vertical holder tubes for individually receiving the rods'to besevered-aweigh't in each tube for advancing the cork rod thereinto'successive severing positions, means for simultaneously raising'saidweights, and means for moving said weights laterally and exteriorly ofthe. tubes as they are raised whereby rre h' rjods'm'a'y be inserted inthe upper ends of the tubes.

nus machine ,for cutting disks fromcork rods, Ithev combination of aplurality of open ended, vertical holder tubes for individually re--ceiving the rods to be severed, a weight in each tube for advancing thecork rod therein to suc cessive severing positions, and means forsimul:-

taneously raising the weights to a height greater than the initiallength .oftherods to be cut v b1 1 t less than the height of the tubes,and means ion shifting the weights transversely through open-f 1slidable on, each tube, aweight in each tube V for advancing the corkrod therein to l qcessive severing positions and having a parteXtend-sing through the slot for pivotal connection-to'the collar, meansengaging the collar for'simultaneously raising the weights to a heightgreater than;

the initial length of the rod to be cut but less than the height of thetubes, and means for shifting the weights transversely through therespective slot to positions outside of the tubes where-. by freshrods'may be inserted in the upper ends of the tubes. I

4. In a machine for cutting disks from-cork rods, the combination of aplurality of open:-

ended, vertical holder tubes for individually-receiving the rods to; hesevered, each tube hav ing a: slot-extending lengthwise thereof andterminating short of the upper end" of Y the: tube, a

collarf'reely slidableom each tube, a weighti in each tube for advanoingth co'rk rod therein' to successive severing positions and: having apart extending through the s'lotrforz pivotal :connection to the collar,and meansengagin'g theicollar; for simultaneously raising theweights-rte. positions above the upperends of the slots whereby en'-gagement of each weight part with its slot end rocks the weightthroughtthe slot to a position outside the tube to thus permit theinsertion of fresh rods in the upper ends of the tubes.

5. In a machine for cutting disks from cork.

rods, the combination of vertical holder tubes for individuallyreceiving the rods to be severed, a weight in each tube for applyingpressure to the cork rod therein, a lifter for simultaneously raisingthe weights to elevated positions, a motor, devices connecting the motorand lifter and operative to raise the lifter when themotor is running, aswitch in the motor circuit, and means associated with one of thedevices for automatically opening the switch when the lifter has raisedthe weights a predetermined distance, the

opening of said switch also releasing saidlifter to permit it and saidweights to thereafter descend'under the action of gravity.

6. In a machine for cutting disks from cork rods, the combination of aplurality of vertical holder tubes for individually receiving the rods7. In a machine for cutting disks from vertical cork rods wherein therods are successively advanced to a knife and the rods are shiftedendwise by weights to new cutting positions, means for simultaneouslyraising the weights when the rod have been severed to permit thepositioning of new rods for cutting, a hopper having a pair of branches,finished disks being discharged into one branch and initial disks fromthe lower ends of the rods being discharged into the other, a gate forcontrolling the discharge direction, and

means for positioning the gate to first direct a predetermined number ofthe initial disks into one branch and to thereafter direct finisheddisks into the other branch.

8. In a, machine for cutting disks from vertical cork rods carried by amoving support wherein the rods are successively advanced to a knife andthe rods are shifted endwise by weightsto new cutting positions, meansfor simultaneously raising the weights when the rods have been severedto permit the positioning of new rods for cutting, a hopper having apair of branches, finished disks being discharged into one branch andinitial disks from the lower ends of the rods being discharged into theother, a gate for controlling the discharge direction, means responsiveto the upward movement of the weight raising means for shifting the gateto direct the initial.

disks, and means-responsive to a predetermined movement off the supportfor shifting; the. gateto direct finished 'disksJF 91 In. armachine for1 cutting disks" mm. cork rods supported in vertical tubes carried by are.- tary turret which: successively advances the/rods toiayknife'andithefrodsrare shifted endwise by weights toinewcutting positions,means "for si-. multaneously raising theaweights when the rods have beensevered to; permit the" introduction of new: rodsilintoithe .tubesjahopper. havingfa pair ofrbranc'hes', finished disks being dischargedinto one branch and initial disks from the lower ends of the rods beingdischargedinto the other, a gate forcontrolling the direction ofdischarge, means responsive to'the upward movement of the weight raisingmeans for shifting the gate to direct the initial disks, and meansresponsive to a predetermined number of revolutions of the turret formoving the gate to direct finished disks. I

10. In a machine for cutting disks from cork rods supported in vertical"tubes on a rotary turret which successively advances the rods to a knifeforcutting and the rods are shifted endthe gate, means responsive to theupward movement'of the weight raising means for energizing thesolenoidto move the gate to direct initial disks, and means responsive to apredetermined number of revolutions of the turret for deenergizing thesolenoid comprising an externally threaded ring carried by the turret, athin-edged rotary disk mounted for axial movement and connected to thegate for movement towards and away from the ring, the disk being movedinto contact with the threads of the ringwhen the solenoid is energized,means responsive tothe axial movement of the disks after a predeterminednumber of revolutions of the turret for deenergizing the solenoid, andspring means connected to the solenoid core for shifting-the gate todirect the finished disks. I

11. In a machine for cutting disk from cork rods supported in verticaltubes on a rotary turret which successively advances the rods to a knifeand wherein the rods are shifted endwise by weights to new cuttingpositions, means for have been severed to permit the introduction of newrods into the tubes, a pair of conduits, finished disks being dischargedinto one conduit and initial disks from the lower ends of said rodsbeing discharged into the other conduit, a gate for controlling thedirection of discharge, a"

solenoid having a core connected to the gate, a starting, normally openwitch actuated to closure by the weight raising means and opening I whenthe means descend, a holding, normally closed switch in parallel withthe starting switch, magnetic switch means operative to energize thesolenoid when the starting switch is closed whereby the gate is shiftedto direct the initial tions ofvthe turret to open-"the holding switchand deenergize the solenoid, and spring; means for retractingthesolenoid core, and for shifting the gate to direct finished diskss,

'12. In a machine forcutting disksfrom cork ro'ds, the combinationofrupright holder tubesfor receiving the cork rods to be severed, aweight in each tube for applying pres'sureto the cork rod'therein, alifter for simultaneously raising all "of saidJv/eig'hts to elevatedpositions, power adapted to be raised by said power means to raise saidlifter, means; for controlling said' power means, and means on said liftmember adapted to actuate said controlling means to cutout said powermeans when said lift member is raised to a predetermined position, thecut-out of said FRED E. 130mm.

